title: Indoor inertial waypoint navigation for the blind.
abstract: Indoor navigation technology is needed to support seamless mobility for the visually impaired. This paper describes the construction and evaluation of an inertial dead reckoning navigation system that provides real-time auditory guidance along mapped routes. Inertial dead reckoning is a navigation technique coupling step counting together with heading estimation to compute changes in position at each step. The research described here outlines the development and evaluation of a novel navigation system that utilizes information from the mapped route to limit the problematic error accumulation inherent in traditional dead reckoning approaches. The prototype system consists of a wireless inertial sensor unit, placed at the users' hip, which streams readings to a smartphone processing a navigation algorithm. Pilot human trials were conducted assessing system efficacy by studying route-following performance with blind and sighted subjects using the navigation system with real-time guidance, versus offline verbal directions.
authors.forename: Timothy H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Riehle
authors.forename: Shane M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Patrick A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Lichter
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Whalen
authors.forename: Nicholas A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Giudice
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001766:Blindness / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D040421:Cell Phone; D003201:Computers; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012656:Self-Help Devices; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities; D016138:Walking; D059015:Wireless Technology; D055815:Young Adult